Museveni commits Shs4.2b annual budget for Martyrs Day celebrations

Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has announced that government funding for Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations will now be a permanent line item in the national budget, with UGX 4.2 billion earmarked annually for religious groups organizing the event.

Speaking on Tuesday, June 03, at the Namugongo Anglican Shrine during the 140th commemoration of the Uganda Martyrs, President Museveni disclosed that this year’s funding included UGX 2 billion each for the Catholic and Anglican Churches and UGX 200 million for the Muslim community.

“This year, the Government gave the Catholics sh2 billion, the Protestants sh2 billion, and the Moslems sh200 million, for this occasion. I have directed the Government to make this contribution part of the Government budget annually since many Ugandans participate,” Mr Museveni, who is seeking re-election for a sixth term in office since 1986, said, triggering applause from the congregants.

The President said this support reflects the spiritual significance and national unity embodied by the Uganda Martyrs, whom he praised for their courage and sacrifice in defending freedom of worship.

“It was wrong for Mwanga to want to kill this new perspective about the supernatural realm. It is good that the young boys and some girls, I am told, were ready to give up their lives for the freedom of worship,” Museveni added.

He also reiterated his long-standing counsel on separating politics from religion. “Our constant advice to Ugandans is never to mix politics with denominational loyalties. Politics is about our welfare on Earth, denominations and religion are about spirituality here on Earth and life after in Heaven,” Museveni affirmed, citing the biblical passage from Mark 12:17: “Give unto God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”.

Museveni further reflected on his experiences during the 1981 liberation war, noting that he lived among religiously diverse communities, Catholics, Anglicans, Muslims, and traditionalists, united by a common cause and the shared pursuit of knowledge.

“Indeed, most of the Christians and Moslems were also believers in the traditional religion. We united all of them around the knowledge of science,” he recalled. “A bullet kills while prayers help, and Orumuri (a reed) held by a fighter is not protection against bullets,” he remarked, drawing laughter from the crowd.

At the Catholic Shrine, Vice President Jessica Alupo, who represented the President, urged Ugandans of all faiths to support President Museveni in the forthcoming general elections. “Next year, as we return to commemorate the Martyrs, it will be expected that Christians, Muslims, and all Ugandans will have shown that support at the polls,” Alupo said.

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere, in his homily, called for political tolerance and servant leadership. “We need a Uganda where political competition doesn’t translate into enmity. Leadership must be about service, not the desire to accumulate power,” he said, noting that “the Martyrs’ wounds speak louder than words.”

Rt. Rev. Dr. Henry Luke Orombi, former Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, decried moral decay and violence. “Today, people spill blood and feel nothing. If God is removed from national decisions, Uganda will lose its moral compass,” he warned.

Orombi lauded the Martyrs’ unwavering courage, stating they “worshipped in the fire, as if flames had no power.”

Despite the massive turnout, vendors outside the Catholic site expressed frustration over low sales, saying they had paid between UGX 100,000 and UGX 300,000 for stalls but registered poor customer traffic.

The Uganda Martyrs, 45 in total (22 Catholic, 23 Anglican), were executed between 1885 and 1887 on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II for refusing to denounce their Christian faith. Their sacrifice is now a symbol of courage, faith, and unity across Uganda and beyond.

You can find President Museveni’s Full speech at Uganda Martyrs Celebration 2025 here